Why are people so judgemental?

Two things: the first is that you might be projecting. Ignore it if it's not true, but it might be, and it will help you greatly. I've sometimes witnessed that people think others are judgmental when in fact, they act off-put or hostile towards other people first because they judge them. Might be worth thinking about. I see a lot of people harbor resentment towards people they've never even given a chance, like how a kid that's obsessed with Star Wars reflexively hates "jocks." Might be true, might not.

The second point is: I did an analysis of the people who judged me. I realized that I actually didn't like or care for any of them, and not because they judged me, but because they were losers/ beneath me. I know this is a common "suck-it-up" speech, but really, it struck me like lightning when I realized that the people who judged me had nothing that I wanted, and often their judgments were just twisted versions of my good qualities. You'd be surprised by what kind of people moralize. You also might be surprised that someone seethes over you because he was in love with your girlfriend, or some other hilarious reason. I think one thing that you should pay attention to is resentment in other people. Once you see how much resentment judgmental or moralizing people harbor, you can't unsee it, and resentment turns people into disgusting animals.

Hope that helps. And good luck with your mental illness.

 

That's good to hear. Stay open to other people but also pay attention to the people making the judgments, not just the judgments.

 

I agree with @gordie about projection. I consider judging others as the easiest, least challenging thing to do in life. I believe that this is one of the major reasons I do it.
When I catch myself judging others, I realize I've lost track of my own goals, values and identity. Some kind of fear has slipped into my plan of action and I've balked at some challenge. I've literally lost myself. Nature abhors a vacuum so, sometimes I take the easy way of trying to re-establish a sense of myself through an imaginary pecking order. My sense of identity becomes a location on an imaginary scale and is subject to my mood or the moods of others around me. "I'm better than him / her" or "he / she is better than me".
Someone I admire and that I'm close to seems to be obsessed with the social standings of their friends, constantly dropping titles and accomplishments. I judge her for it. I resent it. However, is that person really obsessed? Or are they simply expressing admiration and appreciation for the hard work these people have done? Why is it important for me to have an opinion either way? I find an examination into my own judgmental tendencies, triggers and especially the outcomes (what's the payoff?) to be worthwhile every time.

 

I judge, you judge. We all judge.